ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Customer feedback—how to get it

Linda K. Wallace is director of the ALA Public Information Office

The Customer Satisfaction Survey (on next page) designed by ALA is intended as a tool to be used by all types of libraries, one that will generate direct feedback from those we value most—our customers.

For advice on how to plan and administer a more in-depth user survey, see Measuring Academic Library Performance (Chicago: ALA, 1990).

If you already have conducted a similar study and have responses from within the last six months that address the questions asked, we encourage you to forward the results to us with the date when the information was collected.

Survey tips

Some tips for administering your customer service survey:

1. You may customize the survey by adding your library’s name and logo in the space provided or by adding other questions that are pertinent to your library.

2. Decide who will distribute the surveyform. You may wish to recruit students or other volunteers for this task.

3. Decide when to distribute the form.We suggest that you distribute it for at least 12 hours during National Library Week, April 17- 23,1994, including some mornings, afternoons, and evenings/weekends. Choose times that are typical business hours—not your busiest or slowest.

4. Decide where to distribute the survey forms and who should get them. You may wish to station someone at the main entrance to give surveys to all who enter or exit or to every third/fourth/fifth person (you choose the interval). You may want to send the survey to faculty members.

5. If you do not have someone to distribute the survey, you may leave survey forms and pencils on a desk with a sign inviting library users to respond. This should be in a supervised area.

6. Send a press release to campus mediato make people aware that you are conducting a customer satisfaction survey. You may also want to send a follow-up release—“Library users give high marks for service” or “80 percent of library users say they want more hours.”

7. Hold an orientation session for yoursurvey team. Team members should be instructed to be encouraging—“We will really appreciate this”—but not overly persistent if someone is clearly in a hurry or does not wish to participate. Have plenty of pencils to give out.

8. Make your survey visible. Post signssaying, “We want to hear from you. Please fill out a Customer Satisfaction Survey today.” Have a large box clearly identified to collect surveys (“Return surveys here, thank you”).

9. Have a “coding party” with your survey team tabulating the results.

10. Record the total number of responsesto each question for faculty and students and send the results by May 15,1994, to: Customer Satisfaction Survey, ALA Public Information Office, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 606ll. {Note: Comments are primarily for your use. Send only those that you feel are particularly insightful or might be useful for ALA’s legislative/publicity efforts.)

Questions? Call the ALA Public Information Office at (800) 545-3433, ext. 5044.

“Write for America's Libraries” campaign goes online

ALA will take its campaign to collect testimonials about how “Libraries Change Lives” online in 1994. More than 10,000 letters and 45,000 statements in support of libraries were received, many of them from college libraries, during the first year of the “Write for America’s Libraries” campaign sponsored by ALA and Friends of Libraries USA.

The campaign was launched last year during National Library Week and will continue in 1994. The theme for this year’s National Library Week, April 17-23, will again be “Libraries Change Lives.” Libraries that submit 25 or more testimonials will receive the Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia compliments of the Microsoft Corporation.

One person will be selected to represent each state on an honor roll of “Satisfied Customers” to be recognized by ALA President Hardy R. Franklin. Names and a statement (no longer than 100 words) telling how the library changed or made a difference in the life of that person should be sent by May 15, 1994, to the ALA Public Information Office.

Library supporters will also be able to register their support online for the first time by sending electronic messages to a special mailbox via Internet: sup-lib.@uicvm.uic.edu or Bitnet to: sup-lib.@uicvm.

ALA has used the letters collected in testimony to government agencies and they will be hand delivered to members of Congress during the 1994 Library Legislative Day on April 19.

Letters supplied by ALA were incorporated into a speech given by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who cited the vital role of libraries in delivering health care information. And they have been featured in three columns by nationally syndicated columnist Bob Greene.

For a free National Library Week tip sheet, contact the ALA Public Information Office at (800) 545-2433, ext. 5044. A free brochure called “Has the Library made a difference in your life?” is also available.

For more program and promotion ideas, see the 1994 “Libraries Change Lives” Campaign Book Supplement available from ALA Graphics (Item 016, $4); phone: (800) 545-2433, press 8.